Clever bobbin storage ideas

March 5, 2013

It doesn't matter whether you wind your own or you use prewound bobbins...you've
probably got a snarly mess in a drawer or jar somewhere! We have met diligent
quilters over the years use only two bobbins on one quilt! Yes, you read that
right - two bobbins! No, they weren't quilting lines 10 inches apart, but they did
keep one bobbin in the machine and the other on the winder. When the machine
bobbin was out, they changed places!

Most of us aren't quite that patient. We want fast, convenient
bobbin changes. Frugality may creep in for some of us who have collections of 50
to 100 partially wound bobbins lying around our sewing rooms. We're either too
cheap or too lazy to peel off the last 10 yards of thread on a half-used
bobbin. After all, we might use that color again someday! Never mind the fact
that we spent 50 cents on a bobbin to hold 3 cents-worth of thread, or that
we'll soon forget what kind of thread is even on the bobbin!

If you really do like to use more than two bobbins at a time, you can
find many commercial gadgets to store them, including fancy pegboards and
rubber rings. But if you really are trying to be frugal, try collecting some of
your old pill bottles and storing bobbins inside. Tell your husband you want to
browse the sporting goods aisle for a gift for him...but look for a small
tackle box with dividers inside. Many have small compartments to hold not only
bobbins, but marking tools, scissors, pins and more. If your quilting space is
limited, use vertical storage. Jewelry organizers with clear pockets can hang
in your closet as a space saver.

To keep your half-wound bobbin thread tails neat and tidy, buy tiny pony
tail holders in the hair product aisle in the discount or dollar store. These
are colorful and their texture grabs loose thread tails and holds them tight!